Sunday, September 9, 2012

Basil and strawberry ice cream without an ice cream maker

I chose Basil and Strawberry as a name of my blog, because I love them both, and I think their combination is so good, I can't even describe. Early summer I tasted a strawberry-basil soup in a restaurant, and it was the best food I have EVER had, no exaggeration. Unfortunately, it was only a weekend offer, so I couldn't have it next time we went back there. But the taste remained with me, and I was planning to use the combination of strawberry and basil in a homemade ice cream ever since.

I am a huge ice-cream fan, so I got super-excited, when I learnt how to make them at home, without owning an ice-cream maker. It is actually quite simple, you just need eggs, sugar, double cream, and even in a simple freezer, it will turn out surprisingly creamy, guaranteed.

Ingredients (for a very generous amount of ice cream, more than 1000 ml):

400 ml (13.5 fl oz) double cream

4 eggs

170 g (6 oz) caster sugar

250 g (9 oz) of strawberries

a handful of basil leaves

Instructions:

Put the eggs in a bowl, beat them well, add the caster sugar, and start heating very slowly, whisking constantly with a hand mixer. This is the most tricky part of making homemade ice cream, as it will determine the creaminess of the result. As the egg mixture is heated up while being whisked, it will turn foamy, and then it will thicken. When its whole volume becomes pale, creamy and thickened, take off from the heat, put in a water bath, and wait until it cools down. Continue whisking it occasionally.

This is how the egg mixture looks when thickened and ready

Pour the double cream in a bowl, and whip it with a mixer., until soft peaks form. Put the strawberries in another bowl, and mash them. Chop the basil leaves into really small pieces, and add to the mashed strawberries. Process the strawberries to a purée with a mixer, then fold into the whipped cream. Finally, add the egg mixture to the cream and mix gently together.

Line a tin or a plastic container with baking paper, or cling film, pour in the cream mixture, and freeze overnight, or for at least four hours. Before serving, the cling film or baking paper will help you separate the ice cream bar form the box or tin. Serve in slices. Alternatively, you can skip the lining, and just serve the ice-cream with a spoon directly form its container.